why do cats alwayz land on their feet

United States
November 3, 2006 2:10am CST
I have awayz wondered why cats land on their feet every time they fall, can anyone explain?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@LovingIt (5396)
• United States
3 Nov 06
landing on her feet! - Cat's will almost always land on their feet if they fall a short reason.  The way their bodies are made is the reason for this.
Goodie! Finally a question that I'm an expert on! I'm a former cat breeder so have all sorts of cat tidbits and knowledge. :-) If cats fall a short distance, they can almost always right themselves and land on their feet. The uniqueness of the cat's skeleton is one of the reasons they can right themselves so quickly. Cats do not have a collarbone, and the bones in their backbone have more mobility than in many other animals. For these reasons, cats have free movement of their front legs and they can easily bend and rotate their bodies. This allows them to land feet first. Their feet and legs can cushion the impact. This righting reflex begins to appear at 3-4 weeks of age, and is perfected at 7 weeks.
• United States
3 Nov 06
great! thanks
1 person likes this
@massaj03 (4367)
• United States
22 Nov 06
I always wondered the same thing lol
• Janesville, Wisconsin
22 Nov 06
They do not always land on their feet, but they are great in acrobatics, and can twist themselves around with their tails etc, and are very good at doing so. Dropping cats on purpose to see this is considered abuse so please do not do this, as even though they land on their feet they can still get seriously injured even at short distance falls. - DNatureofDTrain